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Key figures

Origin and history

Crabillé Castle, also known as Crabillier or Crabilhé, is a building located in Montgesty, in the Lot department in the Occitanie region. Built in 1804 on an old agricultural estate operated in the 18th century by the Bonafous family, it replaces a hamlet whose houses were demolished for its construction. This castle, from plan to U with a Mansart roof, reflects the social ascent of its sponsors, allies to the Murat family through the marriage of Jean Bonafous with Antoinette Murat, niece of Joachim Murat.

Jean Bonafous (1757-1822), a rich labourer who became knight of the Empire, and his wife Antoinette Murat (1759-1829) built this castle, which welcomed personalities such as Caroline Bonaparte and Marshal Lannes. At Antoinette's death, the estate was abandoned, then divided in 1860 by two farmers who turned it into a farm. Half fell into ruins after 1930, while the other became a tobacco hangar. Rached in 1961, the castle was restored to its original appearance and was partially classified as a historical monument in 1993.

The castle illustrates the evolution of the rural estates of Quercy in the 19th century, moving from agriculture to a symbol of prestige linked to the Napoleonic Empire, before returning to a utilitarian vocation. Its architecture, combining neoclassical elegance and functionality, bears witness to this duality between aristocratic ambition and peasant reality.

Today, the facades, roof and communes of Crabillé Castle are protected, thus preserving a heritage linked to local history and Bonapartist heritage. Its present state results from a restoration undertaken to save what remained of the building after decades of transformation and partial abandonment.

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